Ee!!!

I fancy myself a crafty lady. It's true. But I can't hold a candle to the Uber-Crafters at this year's Craftacular (sponsored by Bust Magazine). Here are the vendors I especially loved (some of whom I've already patronized and others I hope to patronize in the near future):
in the seam. Amazing, adorable pillows of . . . probably whatever you want . . . but generally, lots of adorable pets. Know someone who loves their pet? Your gifting-search for them can end right here.

Black Lamb. Had attractive edgy-yet adult t-shirts. Hipsters would wear these, but non-hipsters will also think they're great. I especially like the T-Rex and the embroidered shirts.

knitknit. Beautiful jewlery created via needle-crafts. Think necklaces where the pendant is a tiny, lovely work of embroidery, beautiful felted pieces . . . and more! This might have been one of the hardest booths to walk by, observing the "no buying presents for yourself between Thanksgiving and Christmas" rule. (additional stuff at their etsy shop here)

Made in Breuckelen. Man I want one of these chunky cowl things so bad! At Craftacular they had many more colors than are currently featured in their etsy shop, so if you don't see the color you want, I'd encourage you to ask.

Hortensia. This was another stall filled with knitted things I wanted to wear. Cowls, infinity scarves, hats and more. And, according to their card "Hortensia is entirely handmade by skilled knitters who are lifelong craftswomen." So that's cool, right?

lil'fishy. OMG. This is some of the cutest baby and kids stuff. It was hard not to buy one of everything on the spot for my as-yet-to-arrive kiddo.

H.S. Chocolate Co. These folks make super-amazing-delicious candy-bar-style chocolate. I got the Minnesota Marvel which was full of maple and peanuts and the chocolate itself was extra delicious. If I'd known how good it was going to be, I probably would have purchased much more on the spot. Yum! (Bonus: their candy is hand-crafted from local ingredients & preservative-free!)

Liddabit Sweets. Delicious sweets, especially their homemade caramels. My mom makes caramels that are, frankly, equally delicious, but she only makes them once a year and then she gives them away to everybody else, so it's good to know where I can get a fix beyond my small annual allotment from mom. Also, Liddabit make many more flavors than my mom (like the scrumptious beer & pretzel caramels) and they also make non-caramel sweets that are also wonderful.